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Ryoshun
Ryoshun, also known as the Tenth Kami, was one of the Kami, the ten divine children of the Sun and the Moon. He was the only one of the Kami who died in the belly of his father Onnotangu before his siblings fell to the mortal realm. For centuries he protected the Rift, the boundary between Yomi, the realm of honored ancestors, and Jigoku. After the gates to Yomi were opened during the War Against Shadow, Ryoshun's spirit became the Steward of the Dead in Meido, the Realm of Waiting where the spirits of the recently deceased waited for their final judgment and assignment to their appropriate afterlife. Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 216 It was Ryoshun's duty to guide the souls of the dead to the Spirit Realm which their karma had earned for them after they were judged by the Fortune of Death, Emma-O. Lifeless, Part One, by Rich Wulf Death Onnotangu ate each of his children after their birth when he feared that they might eventually conspire to overthrow him. The Kami Hantei, however, was saved by his mother Amaterasu, and he later freed his siblings by cutting open Onnotangu's stomach. The Kami fell out of the Celestial Heavens of Tengoku into Ningen-do, the Mortal Realm, through a hole in the sky. Ryoshun, who had been the first devoured and thus inside Onnotangu's stomach the longest, had already died, and so instead he fell to Meido, the Realm of Waiting. Dawn of the Empire, by Rich Wulf For centuries he protected the Rift, the boundary between Yomi, the realm of honored ancestors, and Jigoku. Guardian of the Rift The Tenth Kami After he became the first Emperor of Rokugan, Hantei commanded that Ryoshun's name be forgotten, so no mortal would ever sully his brother's divine name. He also commanded that only gods could enter Ryoshun's Grave until the Tenth Kami walked the earth once more. The grave site was located where the Badger Clan was eventually founded, and the clan was secretly tasked with guarding the grave of the Tenth Kami. The Touch of the Void, by Shawn Carman Shiro Ichiro was built directly on top of the grave. Fealty and Freedom, p. 12 Bloodsword Ambition After the death of Sanzo the bloodsword Ambition was given by Ryoshun to Shiba Tsukune, the Phoenix Clan Champion. The Broken Blade (Eternal Halls of Shiba, story-back - Soul of the Empire) Black Earth In 1132 Secrets of the Unicorn, p. 81 the former Moto Khan Gaheris underwent a divine experience and traveled through the Burning Sands to the Black Earth. Black Earth (LBS - The Awakening flavor) Gaheris focused on the swirling darkness, and gazed a figure into the rift. Gazing Into the Rift (LBS - The Awakening Picture and flavor) Ryoshun, the guardian of the rift, guided him there. Before he finalized his guidance something was terribly wrong. Guardian of the Rift (LBS - The Awakening flavor) Second Death Jama Suru had performed a maho ritual to trap the Kami Shinjo, but Ryoshun answered the spell's call instead. Suru drove his knife deep into the Kami's back... but discovered too late that it was not Shinjo who had been summoned. Deadly Fright (Soul of the Empire flavor) Ryoshun was killed by Suru. Bloodspeaker, p. 70 When Ryoshun died, his anguish awoke the Sun from grief. The Sun stepped down from the heavens and her eyes were cold and hard. Blood Rite (Soul of the Empire flavor) Ryoshun knew his place was with the dead, to guard them and bear the burden of their souls. It was his duty to seal the gate and ultimately purge Jigoku of the Shadow. Ryoshun's Last Words (Soul of the Empire flavor) The Awakening The great goddess Shinjo awoke from her slumber beyond the rift and flew forth into the Black Earth where Gaheris was waiting. They eventually escaped the barren realm of the Black Earth, and Shinjo's freedom was complete. In this way was fulfilled an ancient prophecy, the Awakening, where a Goddess and a Dark God would be released. Re-Awakening, Part 1, by Lucas Twyman Shinjo had felt the killing blow against her lost brother Ryoshun and cried filled with remorse as she soared out of the barren realm. Voice of the Star (LBS - The Awakening flavor) Ryoshun had taken the place Suru deserved. Meido In Meido, Ryoshun would come to work alongside the Fortune of Death Emma-O. After Emma-O judged a soul, Ryoshun would guide that soul to the appropriate Spirit Realm as determined by their karma in life, as the steward of all lost souls. Lifeless, Part One, by Rich Wulf Ryoshun was the keeper of the gates to Jigoku, the Guardian of the Rift. Ryoshun's First Gift (Fire and Shadow flavor) Lying Darkness When the Goju began to slay souls of the Spirit Realms Ryoshun stood alone, his divine blood calling for succor as the gateway to Jigoku tore and the spirits died. Guardian of the Rift (Ambition's Debt flavor) Hitomi gave Dangai Hitomi's Last Gift, that would be necessary to aid Ryoshun in his fight against the Darkness. Clan Letter to the Brotherhood (Imperial Herald v4 #2) Volturnum The Oracle of Void, Isawa Kaede, had sent Matsu Hiroru and Ginawa to the ancient city of Volturnum. Rulebook Story (Fire and Shadow), by Ree Soesbee When they reached the city Hiroru talked with Ryoshun, and both came back to Rokugan. Toturi's Seppuku Hiroru and Ryoshun reached Isawa Palace, to meet the Emperor Toturi. The Tenth Kami explained to Toturi what had to be done to defeat the Lying Darkness. Karmic Link (Soul of the Empire flavor) Toturi broke free of the hold the Lying Darkness had over him. In this moment of clarity he realized that if the Darkness took the soul of an Emperor the Empire would be lost also. Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition p. 23 In a hasty ceremony, he married his fiancee Isawa Kaede, Imperial Wedding (Soul of the Empire flavor) committing seppuku shortly afterwards with Hiroru as a second so that there would be no chance of the Emerald Empire being ruled by a tainted Emperor. Soul of the Empire (Soul of the Empire flavor) Battle at Oblivion's Gate During the Battle of Oblivion's Gate in 1133, Ryoshun fought against the Lying Darkness. Rulebook Story (Soul of the Empire), by Ree Soesbee He destroyed Oblivion's Gate Dragons Tooth (Soul of the Empire flavor) shortly after the death of Yoritomo at Goju Adorai's hands. For a thousand years, Ryoshun had done his duty, to hold open the arch to Jigoku, guarding the spirits of Rokugan. Lifting his hands to either side of the arch pulled to either side of the massive stone gateway an army of Returned Spirits that flooded through the gateway, passing through the Kami's immortal spirit and rushing toward the allied armies of the Empire. Others stood on the far side of Oblivion's arch, destroying the Shadow that had invaded Jigoku. This army was led by Yoritomo, charging in with the lost Thunders, Doji Hoturi and Isawa Tadaka. In the face of this onslaught, the Shadow began to retreat. The Death of Yoritomo, by Ree Soesbee Shinjo's Journey In 1160 during the Invasion of the Celestial Heavens Fu Leng slew his sister Shinjo with Emma-O's Spear, casting her soul into Meido. Upon her arrival Ryoshun gathered her and with the aid of the one of the Shi-Tien Yen-Wang convinced Shinjo to cross a magic portal. The only way to leave Meido was through Reincarnation, and the portal brought new life to the spirits who passed through it, awaiting rebirth when the time was right. Gifts of Ryoshun Unlike the other Kami, Ryoshun had no descendants or followers to bear his name and celebrate his memory in the mortal world. In order to correct this problem, Ryoshun delved into the essence of each of the Spirit Realms under his protection and crafted a series of talismans, known as the Gifts of Ryoshun, to be given to those individuals worthy of his blessing so that one day they might celebrate his memory and those of his chosen. Gift of Ryoshun, Part II, by Shawn Carman The selected exemplars of Mankind were summoned to Meido to be chosen as followers for either the Voice of the Jade Sun or the Voice of the Obsidian Moon. Ryoshun warned his champions that the Emerald Empire was to be tested, tested as it had never been before. They must prepare Mankind for the trials ahead, and to remind humanity to seek the favor and aid of the Celestial Heavens. Each of the chosen was gifted with one of the Gifts of Ryoshun to aid them during their service to the Voices. First Gift Time ago, Ryoshun already had visited for a brief time the Empire that his brothers and sisters had created. The sight had filled him with joy as nothing else ever had, and he gave gifts of magic and wisdom to any who desired them. The first of them was a spell, known as Ryoshun's First Gift. Magic of Rokugan, p. 47 Referenced in the Tao Some scholars believed this passage in the Tao of Shinsei might not have been a reference to Ryoshun, but a reference to "mankind" or even Uikku. External Links * Ryoshun's Guidance (Forgotten Legacy) Category:Kami Category:Meido